Etymology
Origin of leaving
First recorded in 1300–50, leaving is from the Middle English word leving. See leave 1, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Vance tamped down expectations before leaving Washington on Friday morning.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
That’s added more than 7.7% to the broadest measure of U.S. stocks since the low of March 30, leaving the index just a few points shy of its pre-war close on Feb. 27.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
She announced in July that she would not run for California governor — leaving the door open for a presidential run or something else — then published a book in September rehashing her campaign.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
At the talks in Islamabad, the U.S. is likely to push for tanker traffic to resume “above all, leaving details for later,” said Matt Gertken, chief geopolitical and U.S. political strategist at BCA Research.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
There had to be more than a hundred students leaving the building right now.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
